Real Wedding - An Informal Afternoon Tea Celebration at Clock Barn

The beautiful Hampshire countryside and stunning Clock Tower set the scene for Sioned and Jonathan’s laid-back wedding day.

Sioned and Jonathan knew exactly wanted they wanted from their wedding day – a huge party with the people they loved and a great menu. They also dreamed of tying the knot in a charming, rustic barn – they just had to find the perfect location…

Barn charm

The couple came across Clock Barn online and knew right away that it was something special. “It looked great in all the photos so we had to go and look around,” says Sioned. Luckily, the barn exceeded all their expectations – leaving them booking the venue even though it was the first they’d looked at. “We were that impressed with it that we had to book it right away,” says Sioned. “Clock Barn was stunning to look at and we loved all the bunting and fairy lights,” she explains. “Tilly, who showed us around, was so informative too – and answered almost all our questions before we’d even asked them!” she smiles.

A vintage tea

Keen to let the barn’s natural charm speak for itself, Sioned and Jonathan kept their big-day styling nice and simple. “As we’d decided on an afternoon tea reception, we wanted the whole vibe to be more informal,” explains Sioned. With this in mind, the couple placed boxes of games on each table, filled with word searches, confetti wands, trivia questions and more. Many of the games were tied to facts about the couple – for that personal touch – while the tables were named after the pair’s personal favourite holiday destinations. In keeping with the vintage vibe of their day, the couple also choose paper flowers for their table centrepieces. “My friend made all our table flowers using pages from Jane Austen novels. They were amazing,” smiles Sioned.

True blue

When it came to their wedding attire, Sioned and Jonathan went with what felt right – instead of choosing something to match their wedding theme. Sioned decided on a princess style dress from Essence of Australia. “It was enormous and impractical but completely gorgeous,” she smiles. “I added a touch of colour to my look too – with a long blue ribbon around my waist,” she adds. Jonathan, on the other hand, opted for a twist on the traditional tails. Instead of black, he wore electric blue, teaming his tails with a blue cravat. Sioned’s two bridesmaids dressed in royal blue too while her flower girls dressed in white.

Tying the knot

Sioned decided to get ready at Clock Barn ahead of the ceremony. She drove all her bridesmaids to a local hotel the night before the wedding, before heading off to the venue early the next morning. With the bridal dressing room just a few steps away from the aisle, Sioned and her bridal party didn’t need to travel far when the moment finally arrived.

Post-ceremony, the couple were congratulated by friends and family with the throwing of the confetti tradition. Unfortunately, the moment wasn’t quite as dreamy as Sioned had hoped it to be. “We had to use natural flower petals – but when they was thrown it actually really hurt,” laughs Sioned. “I had so many petals fall down my dress so I had to enlist the help of my bridesmaids to scoop it all out!”

A feast for all

After the ceremony, the wedding party tucked into round one of the day’s food offerings – canapés. “No-one was going hungry at our wedding,” laughs Sioned. The post-ceremony canapés included crisp risotto balls of sundried tomato and Parmesan and curried lamb with mint yoghurt dip, and was followed by an afternoon tea indoors. “In the evening, guests got to enjoy a BBQ and a sweet buffet with a rainbow cake and cupcakes,” says Sioned. “We had everything we wanted on our wedding, it was the best day ever!”